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How long can a plane keep flying?? Not everything depends on the years in service of the aircraft, but also, of flight cycles and other factors. Photo the SilverWingPix.
Like the vast majority of machines in the world, airplanes cannot fly the skies of the world forever and have a useful life that is generally fulfilled at 30 years since your first flight, but as we have seen, the The age of an airplane does not determine its safety., otherwise, the responsibility with which it is operated.
how long can they fly?, What is done with the planes that have reached their useful life?? We will answer all these and more questions in this new publication..
How long can a plane keep flying??
In general terms, un avión es «operable» por aproximadamente 30 years before it must be retired, the exact lifetime of an aircraft varies from model to model, type of operation, year of production, cycles, etc.
The planes each 6 a 8 years must undergo what is called a D check, which is a deep maintenance where the plane is practically disarmed in its entirety, thoroughly inspected for structural flaws, cracks and others that could jeopardize the operation.
This maintenance could allow aircraft that have served more than 30 years of service, but you still have cycles available keep flying. The limitation is the high cost of this maintenance work, which may require several million dollars, which many times does not justify the investment for the airlines or owners and they prefer to advance the retirement of their aircraft to make way for new teams.
On other occasions, planes are grounded not because of their age or cycles, but also by economic measures by airlines to make way for more efficient aircraft in terms of fuel consumption and operating costs.
flight cycles
One of the main measures to determine that an aircraft can continue to fly are what are known as cycles, which in general terms means the times a commercial aircraft is pressurized and depressurized on each flight.
For instance, a boeing 747 can operate approx. 35.000 cycles of pressurizations or flights, which is roughly between 135 what a 165 thousand hours of flight during its useful life until reaching material fatigue.
When an aircraft closes the doors and starts the process of starting the engines, it is considered a cycle., ya que inicia su proceso de presurización enfocado en que el interior de la cabina del avión se «sienta» a un nivel de vuelo superior a la altura de la que despegas, adjusting the oxygen supply and allowing passengers to travel more comfortably, relaxed and confident.
Every time a pressurization is generated, todo el fuselaje de la aeronave pasa por grandes y fuertes cambios de lo que podríamos decir es un «ensanchamiento» o «estiramiento» del fuselaje, which in the long run will generate a wear of the entire structure, determined by the manufacturer as maximum usage time.
This wear of the structure could generate cracks or potentially dangerous damage for the operation., which generates that leaving them forever on the ground is mandatory.
What do you do with a retired plane?
It all depends on the owner of each aircraft. as you possibly know, some planes are owned by the airlines and others are leased, the decision of what to do will be up to them.
within this point, the most common options are:
- Send it to a desert like Mohave where the planes await a new owner if they still have a useful life left, rest under the sun until the end of their days or be sold for parts.
- Dismantle it directly, what it means to sell all the pieces and parts (more of 350 one thousand) that still have a useful life such as seats and the rest of the plane sell it to become a can of beer.
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maybe you know him, since you are in this environment.
But it's very easy to find:
An example
»Sir Argentina travel blog»
Perhaps the information that he manages ( which is very profuse) , I can serve you.
Kind regards.
Good morning Nicholas:
First time I enter the site, and it is really a pleasure to read these texts.
And although you are neither a technician nor an aeronautical engineer, the content is truthful and quite easy to understand even for readers who do not belong to the Sector and who do not know the subject. It is noted that there has been a conscientious research work.
It is good to know that in this environment there are still people prepared. Because lately there are characters that do not show much pride in aeronautical work.
Without going further, here in Argentina a character who proclaims himself as a travel guru writes a blog, a being who has "jumped on the horse" of Aviation, with certain bizarre and narcissistic characteristics:
1) The title of Pilot is arrogated ( and takes photos in as many cabins as they allow, with Aviator glasses and cap included). It is doubted that he has not piloted more than a single engine, that is to say, he is a private pilot.
1 bis) with this resume, answers his readers about airplanes and gives his opinion from experience, as if he had been Tom Cruise piloting an F14 in Top Gun.
2) Noble title of Sir is arrogated, and he has a retinue of sycophants who "yell" at him( writing) "Genius, you are the most, sos a big(a large), never die, you are the best" and other things like that. Food for your narcissism.
3) He is an insatiable person who lives after the search for the advertising exchange without any itching: apart from flirting with the state flag airline and with another of Chilean origin, also ventures with banks, Credit cards, hamburgueserias, restaurants and cafeterias of airports and cities of the world, solar thermotank companies,local and foreign pizzerias, mozzarella cheese factories near your home, and even now ( and for its inactivity as almost all domestic flights in our country are canceled), is dedicating itself to road testing vehicles from large Mercosur firms !! You should see the nonsense he says, with total ignorance of mechanics and automotive maintenance. But still, the followers continue to fawn over him.
4) knows everything. He is the King of Google. And what he doesn't know he invents. The guiding phrase is "if I don't win it for you", "I empathize with you": it's obnoxious.
5) As soon as he smells a reader who knows the same or more than him and dares to comment on something, automatically discriminates against or discredits, and has even blocked them ( the phrase is "This Blog is not for you" and then expels).
6) Laughs at older or humble people, that you do not use Credit or Debit electronically via Home Banking and that , old-fashioned, pay in cash at express collection points.
6bis) Misogynist, denigrates even the mothers of his daughter's schoolmates, laughing at women who were unaware of the use of the Internet for Teleescuela tasks.
7) lousy writer, but he doesn't care about learning language and improving his writing ( to happen that many people let him know). Has little respect for the educated reader , considering that he earns his living thanks to writing.
8) Belongs to a type of average citizen of our lands that are overvalued, and they haven't really studied, they haven't even tried, nor have they dedicated themselves to anything in particular.
A speculator who abuses free blogs and Youtube ( more Instagram and others like that) , of which are seen every day more on the internet.
8 bis) At check-in or boarding,boasts of passing first as Priority, and sometimes he has even used his little daughter as an excuse to come in and sit down first. Other times he has achieved that "privilege" ( ?) thanks to advertising exchanges with its sponsors.
I think that attitude is silly., since a cabin quickly fills with people and then when going down, everyone arrives at the destination at the same time( even if they try to save time getting up from the seat even with the aircraft taxiing and without having reached the Terminal yet).
9) I have noticed the same treatment with a young man who has studied Economics and who is dedicated to talking about used cars on YouTube, but don't know how to replace a spark plug. The common denominator in all is that if you write something from your knowledge or experience ( I am technician), in disagreement or trying to correct some misconception or unclear, they refute you because they feel like know-it-alls. Debunking is instant, and they do not stop writing endless monologues to convince that they are perfect and have the last word.
10) All this denotes a problem of national idiosyncrasy, therefore you could take advantage and follow this advice: » What is the best business in the world?
» Buy an Argentine for what it is really worth, and sell it for what he says it's worth…»
That is not the case of you in Ecuador !
I don't know if this was the right place to express it, but I needed to do catharsis in a nice place, That's why I appreciate the time you've spent reading me and the Kylobites you've lent me to host all this.
And also thanks for the information..
A hug and success in the task.
see you forever
Hello Daniel, Thank you for your comment and contribution to this blog.. About what you tell me about Sir, each of us who try to contribute on web pages like nlarenas.com have our own style, our way of carrying things and even how to write and answer. sir i know, We have run into some international events and he has seemed like a very cool guy and open to sharing his experience, in fact, He has a lot to do with why I have encouraged myself to start the blog.
welcome to this space.
Hi Nicolas, thanks for your answer.
It is neither more nor less than:
"The wolf in sheep's clothing".
Everything I have written to you is true. Not because I say so, expressed by hundreds of dissatisfied readers for his arrogant treatment ( «I have been writing since 1995»).
Thanks to his arrogance we have migrated and met other blogs of more educated people, kind and friendly.
and now yours.
I repeat you, it is a pleasure to read all your material, and from the knowledge of aviation, a form of communication is glimpsed that, evidently, it shows very well the type of human being who is who writes.
An aeronautical saludo, with rudder and power up for the after the pandemic !!
Big hug from Argentina
Greetings Daniel and I hope to see you in this space often.
excellent explanation, there we must also consider that as in every machine, Much will also depend on the quality of maintenance and the fatigue to which it has been subjected in its daily life.. Another spectrum to consider is the economic one., that is to say, to what extent is its use profitable compared to the new aircraft coming onto the market, this could retire them earlier as has happened with the 747 and the 380.
Exactly Paul, Thank you.